


Hope

by agirlhasaname



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 14:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15974588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agirlhasaname/pseuds/agirlhasaname
Summary: “Madge.”“I-I-morphling for the pain.” Madge manages to say, her blue eyes are fixed on Gale and she tucks a few morphling vials in Mrs. Everdeen hands; she takes it with a silent thank-you.Madge can’t look at Gale’s unconscious body without a lump in her throat. Tears gather in the corners of her eyes, but she can’t show Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch or anybody how it affects her. No one knows about her and Gale. No one knows about their secret meetings in the Meadow during Katniss and Peeta’s games. No one knows about their trips beyond the fence. No one knows about their kisses or touches.No one knows Gale is the one Madge is in love with.





	Hope

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt to write Madge/Gale one shot. I'm in love with them recently, so why not to give their ship some justice?  
> Leave a review or kudos or just ignore it(no one should told you what to do!) if you like it. Thanks!  
> English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for every grammatical error, misspelling etc.

_Gale._

He is the only thing in her mind since she heard the news from her maid Willa from the Seam.

Madge runs to the Everdeens’ mansion in the Victor’s Village like crazy, despite her legs start aching. The new Peacekeeper Thread whipped Gale more than thirty times and his state is terrible. Her heart stings thinking he is hurt. With a stolen morphling from her mother’s cabinet in her hands, Madge opens the door of Katniss’ house to find Prim running around the house with clean bandages, Haymitch swearing and arguing with Katniss, whose cheek is strained with blood, purple bruise is already forming there from Thread’s whip, Mrs. Everdeen is busy dressing Gale’s wounds. Even Peeta is here and he is the first to acknowledge her.

“Madge.”

“I-I-morphling for the pain.” Madge manages to say, her blue eyes are fixed on Gale and she tucks a few morphling vials in Mrs. Everdeen hands; she takes it with a silent thank-you.

Madge can’t look at Gale’s unconscious body without a lump in her throat. Tears gather in the corners of her eyes, but she can’t show Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch or anybody how it affects her. No one knows about her and Gale. No one knows about their secret meetings in the Meadow during Katniss and Peeta’s games. No one knows about their trips beyond the fence. No one knows about their kisses or touches or that he is the one Madge is in love with. Madge suspects Hazelle Hawthorne knows, but even if she does, she is silent.

“Madge… Are you okay?” Peeta breaks Madge from her trance with his hand on her shoulder. She tears her eyes from Gale and looks into Peeta’s blue orbs, nodding.

“Yeah, just-it looks awful.” She chokes, her voice cracks a little, she clears her throat. Prim comes back with a bowl full of snow, closes on the table and helps her mother with covering open flesh of Gale.

“It’ll take few weeks before his wounds heal. But with your morphling it won’t be that painful at least.” Mrs. Everdeen gives her a grateful smile.

Madge looks at Katniss whose grey eyes are glued to Gale and she feels jealousy raising in her veins, even if she shouldn’t feel that way. She knows Gale loves Katniss; she knows that Gale only uses her, but she likes to think it isn’t like that. Madge thinks that Gale cares about her, the last few weeks really brought them together and there is no denying that she has a crush on him since she was thirteen and when he kissed her for the first time in the woods by that damn lake, her world has turned upside down. But then Katniss and Peeta came back and everything’s as it used to be; Gale is still in love with Katniss and Madge is only a toy for him, and what hurts her the most, she agrees on it. She agrees on playing blind and oblivious that Gale meets her only to use her body, even if they sometimes only talk, nothing more.

“I can look for some kind of salve for you cheek, Katniss.” Madge forces a smile on her lips and closes on her best friend. Mr. Abernathy observes her.

“It’s nothing. Gale’s worse.” Katniss shakes her head of black hair, her sincere eyes looks at Madge. “Thank you for this.” She gestures at the bottles of morphling. “I know you and Gale don’t really like each other-”

“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help him.” A real smile graces Madge’s features at Katniss’ thought that they hate each other. “I’ll try to bring more morphling if it’s needed.”

They silently watches Mrs. Everdeen and Prim circling around Gale. He’s still unconscious, his olive skin is all red on his back, Katniss’ mother had to sew some of his open wounds. Madge had to restrain herself for reaching for Gale and stroke his black hair or hold his hand. Gale’s mother storms into Everdeens’ house all in tears, clutching on Gale. Madge’s heart squeezes at the wailing of the broken mother. She had never seen her like that before and Madge visited Gale’s home often. Rory, Vick and Posy are forbidden to visit their eldest brother, Hazelle doesn’t wish they see Gale like this. Madge agrees. Peeta makes a small talk, Katniss is silent, Haymitch keeps giving Madge sharp looks. She feels he wants to talk with her. Haymitch is one of her father’s friend, even when they don’t show it. He cares for Madge like her own father and her mother says it’s because she reminds him of Aunt Maysilee. 

Mr. Abernathy catches Madge’s elbow. “Shouldn’t you be getting home, sweetheart? It’s almost dark and Peacekeepers are now roaming the streets like starving dogs.”

“Yes, you’re right, Mr. Abernathy.” Madge averts her blue eyes from Gale and his mother. She looks out of the window and indeed, the sky is painted in orange and pink colours spelling the night-time.

“I’ll walk you home.” Peeta chimes in but Haymitch interrupts suddenly.

“No, I’ll walk her home.” His tone isn’t the one you can argue with. Peeta narrows his eyes but nods.

Madge needs to see Gale tomorrow. She needs to make something up to see him, so she speaks in an uncertain voice. “I’ll come tomorrow-if you want of course-with some medicine on Gale’s wounds…. I’ll look what I have at home from the Capitol.”

Katniss barely looks at her and smiles tiredly, her eyes looks kindly at Madge. She says goodnight and heads towards the door with Mr. Abernathy. He looks pissed-off and Madge furrows her eyebrows at him, squeezing her coat more tightly around her body as the snow is falling lightly on their heads.

“Look, princess.” Mr. Abernathy begins, his hands are deep in his pockets, they exit the Victors’ Village. “You know I care for you like for my own daughter and I don’t want to see you hurt, okay?”

“Okay…?” Madge tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, not really sure why he is brining this up.

“I see you care for this stupid boy.” He says in a huff, a white steam escapes his mouth. Madge widens her eyes, her heart thumps in her chest like mad. Her face pales. “Don’t make that face on me. I’m not blind like Katniss not to see that. I don’t know what bullshit he told you that you started being around him-”

“It’s not like that-”

“-but you _know_ how boys his age are. They think only about one thing. I was his age too.” Mr. Abernathy spats and gives Madge a hard look. “If he does something to hurt you, I’ll beat the shit out of him, sweetheart.” He holds his hand to stop Madge from protesting. “He may be handsome and charming, but I heard about his reputation with the girls from the Seam. I still remember when you told me he’s a jerk, he liked teasing you, mocking you and I remember when you _cried_ because of him, Madge. I don’t want to see you like that again. Never.”

The streets are silent, no one dares to get into Peacekeeper’s black boots. They are near her house and Madge is glad about that as Haymitch’s words are true and it settles in the pit of her stomach unpleasantly. She knows exactly how pathetic she is that she was fooled by Gale so easily, yet when he was with her and only her in the meadow or forest or his house, he was different… genuine and mild.

“I know how Gale is.” Madge licks her chapped lips, Mr. Abernathy’s dark hair is covered in snow, hers are probably the same. “We’re just friends. I care for him as a friend.”

Haymitch chuckles bitterly and examines her face with his dark grey eyes. “I can see you care for him _more_ than just a friend, sweetheart.”

There is silence between them, they reach her house. Madge keeps her head low, shame fills her body.

“Madge…” Haymitch sighs and runs his hand over his tired face. “Gale he…he loves-”

“Katniss.” Madge’s head shots up and her eyes start burning with hot and unwanted tears. Mr. Abernathy looks at her with compassion and she hates it. “I know he loves her.”

He looks confused at her for a while, then nods. “I don’t want to see you disappointed… You’re too good, too kind for him, Madge.”

Mr. Abernathy sighs and kisses her forehead, then he turns around and makes his way back to the Victors’ Village. Madge feels mortified, her tears stream freely down her pale cheeks now, but she knows all this situation is because of her. She couldn’t keep her lips away from Gale’s, she couldn’t keep her legs closed for him, she couldn’t keep her _heart_ closed for him. And she suffers because of her foolish decisions.

Madge lies on her bed, plush pillows under her head while Gale’s head rests on the hard and wooden Everdeens’ table. She closes her puffy eyes and sniffs a few times. She dreams of Gale and his laugh; his warm lips and his rough and dirty from coal hands.

Madge dreams of Gale where he is hers.

_Only hers._

* * *

 

After school and quick visit at home, Madge quickly passes the grey buildings until she reaches the border of the Seam. With the basket full of food and her bag of medicines for Katniss and Gale, she decided to visit Hawthornes first. Without Gale’s salary from the mines it will be hard for them to buy anything and thinking about Posy or Vick or Rory, who took tresses recently, and Mrs. Hazelle starving makes Madge’s heart sting.

She had never been in the Seam alone, there was always Gale next to her and now, seeing nasty looks towards the unwelcome guest as she is, Madge wants to reach Hawthornes house as soon as possible. She wonders if Gale’s awake already. If he is, it must’ve been Katniss face he had seen first. Jealousy and bitterness flows in her veins, even though she is aware that it’s pointless and ridiculous; Katniss is a friend. They play on Madge’s piano, they talk in the meadow, or they just sit in comfortable silence together. Madge had never thought there would be something between them that they would be divided, and she had never wanted that, yet there is _Gale_. For Katniss, Gale exists between them as a boy who hates Madge; there is no affectionate sense. And Madge almost hates Katniss for her unawareness of seeing people’s feeling. Or she is just jealous that she can’t be blind like her.

The white, shabby door are before her. Madge knocks and Mrs. Hawthorne quickly opens it for her with a worried and worn-out expression on her face.

“Something happened? To Gale?” Her voice is panic-stricken and Madge calms her down.

“No, no, I haven’t seen him yet.” Madge  presses the wicker basket into coarse hands of Mrs. Hazelle with a small smile. “It’s food for you. It’s not much, but I think it’ll do… Without Gale now…”

Mrs. Hawthorne breaks her speech and embraces her tightly. Madge imagines it’s the way Hazelle hugs Posy. It’s warm and grateful, full of motherly love. When Gale’s mother lets her go, Madge sees her grey eyes are filled with tears.

“Thank you, Madge, thank you.” She pulls her hand and steers Madge inside the house despite the blonde-haired girl’s protests. “You’ll eat with us. It’s your food and I want to share it with you.”

“Madge!” Posy screams and hugs Madge’s legs tightly. She kneels before Gale’s sweet sister she loves like her own. “I’ve missed you. Why aren’t you visiting us anymore?”

“I-I don’t have much time now.” Madge smiles and strokes Posy’s black hair. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll visit you more often.”

Posy smiles brightly at her and offers to braid her hair while they are waiting for dinner. Rory and Vick hugs her too, both of them looking concerned, but they chat and tell her about school and stupid homework and it is almost like it was her first visit at Hawthornes’. Madge craves for a family like them; craves the warmth, love, talks, laugh, even their silly fights. Because this is _family_. Her father is always absent and her mother’s severe headaches bans her from normal existence.

It is dark when Madge exits Gale’s house with kind embraces from the family. She promises to visit them tomorrow. Rory and Vick offer to walk her home, she declines their offer with a smile. She can handle herself. Her coat blows in the harsh wind while she quickly makes her way to the Victors’ Village. Her leather bag on her shoulder seems heavier with every step as her body is stiff with cold, her palm are clenched into a fist to gain more warmth in the pockets of her blue coat.

When Madge arrives at the door and knocks, she grimaces as her fingers are numb, even in the gloves. Prim opens the door and invites her inside, taking the bag from her. Katniss is sitting next to Gale, holding his hand. He emerged from him morphologic dream at the noon and then he came back to sleep as Prim informed her. Madge wants her hand to hold Gale’s one freely, but she knows she can’t, so she takes a deep breath and tries to ignore the aching of her heart. Katniss and Mrs. Everdeen thanks again for the medicine from the Capitol and her friend’s cheek is soon dressed by her mother. Madge offers Prim help with Gale’s wound. The young girl looks at her funnily.

“I want to help.”

Madge shrugs and Prim orders her to apply the purple, jelly-like salve on his red gashes. It looks better than yesterday. It doesn’t bleed anymore. She skims her fingers over Gale’s black hair when no one is looking. He once told her he liked when she played with his hair, so she did that often whenever they met.

Katniss looks sleepy and her grey eyes keep closing and she yawns, but refuses to leave Gale’s side even when her mother and Prim begs her to. She probably didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. Katniss’ eye is a little swollen and there is a nasty shade of purple and red under it.

“Have some rest, Katniss.” Madge smiles at her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t look well.”

“But Gale-”

“I can stay with him.” Madge shrugs. “There’s a slim chance for him to wake up now anyway.”

Katniss gives her a long look and sighs. “Okay. I’ll take a nap. But wake me up if he does.”

“Of course.” Madge helps her get up, Katniss hisses straightening her back. She’s slept on the chair all night. With a last miserable look, Katniss leaves the kitchen and goes upstairs with her mother. Prim is still there, leaning against the kitchen counter when Madge lowers herself on the chair. It’s still warm of Katniss.

“You should be a healer, Prim. You’ve sewed his wounds like it was a cloth.” Madge smiles impressed at Prim, who blushes. “You’re brilliant.”

“Thank you, Madge, but I still have many things to learn.”

“You’re barely thirteen and I’ve never seen anyone that gifted. Have you learnt all these things from books?” Madge waves at Gale’s back and the kitchen counter, which is full of herbal medicine.

“Yes.” Prim nods eagerly and her blue eyes shines with excitement. It’s obvious she loves that and Madge lets her speak. “I help mom with her patients too. Sometimes I go with her to help with birthing.”

“That must be terrifying.” Madge wrinkles her nose. She heard the birth is painful and messy and it sometimes takes hours to end.

“For the first time, yes, it was awful and terrifying.” Prim giggles and plays with her blonde braid. “But later it’s just… normal I think.”

Madge looks at Gale for a while and wonders what if she would give him children. They would probably have his black hair and grey eyes and olive skin; their children would be handsome and tall just like him. This thought worries and excites her equally. But she steals from the cabinet those capitol-made pills that her mother takes to prevent herself from getting pregnant.

“It’s okay if I go to bed? I’m a little tired after school and then mama and I took care of Gale and Mr. Houghton broke his wrist so-” Prim twitters, pulling at the buttons of her dress. Madge smiles at her.

“It’s okay, go. You all need some sleep.”

Prim almost exits the kitchen when she suddenly turns around with a frown. “Wait, Madge. It’s almost curfew, you can’t wander alone around the district.”

Madge grimaces. She didn’t think about that, her thoughts were only focused on Gale and her attempt to stay alone with him, even just to hold his hand.

“You can sleep tonight at our place.” Prim shrugs. “But your parents won’t be worrying?”

“They probably won’t even notice I’m gone.” Madge smiles sadly and Prim looks sheepish. “I don’t want to cause any trouble, I’ll sleep at Peeta’s. He’s all alone in this huge house.”

“Okay.” Prim smiles, rubbing her tired eyes. “Goodnight, Magdalena.”

“Goodnight, Primrose.”

Madge hears Prim’s bedroom door closing and she finally lets go of breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her fingers brush against Gale’s hair and his exhausted and somehow relaxed face, his dark eyebrows aren’t pursed, the same his mouth. Gale looks peaceful. Morphling she delivered to Mrs. Everdeen is working.

Her long fingers curl around his rough one and she places a soft kiss on his dry lips. Gale stirs in his sleep and Madge quickly pulls away. He opens his grey eyes tiredly, blinks a few times, his eyes get used to the low light of the lamp on the kitchen counter. He smiles widely at her and rasps.

“Hey, bunny.”

“Hey, donkey.” Madge laughs quietly at their greeting. He calls her bunny since she confessed she loves carrots and she calls him donkey, because well, he is terribly wilful.

“How are you feeling?” She squeezes his hand lightly.

“Seeing your lovely face, a lot better now.” Gale says tiredly, with a glint of playfulness in his grey eyes. Madge flushes a little.

“Charming even while being on the verge of death.”

“And handsome too.” His grin makes Madge’s heart fill with affection. She strokes his cheek, there is a dark stubble on it. He looks older than nineteen like this.

“I’ll get you some water.” Madge quickly gets up. She looks for a glass in the cabinet and puts it under the tap, the cold water fills the glass. Gale hisses when he tries to raise himself and Madge scolds him, his wounds are still fresh and he mutters angrily under his breath, sipping on the water. He is thirsty as he rapidly downs the glass and asks for another one. Madge obeys.

When Gale lies on the table again, drained from energy, he looks at her with a small smile. Madge’s eyes fills with tears and she doesn’t care it flows down her cheeks. She strokes his dark hair.

“You’ve scared me, Gale. You’ve scared us all. Don’t you _dare_ doing that again.” Madge warns him with a sniff.  

“I promise I won’t.” Gale whispers, but she knows he won’t stay away from troubles for long. She heard about the revolts in the Districts, she overheard her father watching message from President Snow. If Gale knew about what’s happening, he surely would join the resistance movement. And Madge was afraid what would happen to him then.

“Pretty braid.” Gale tugs lightly at her hair.

“It’s Posy’s work.” Madge looks at her long, messy now braid, bound with a green ribbon.

“Posy’s?” Gale frowns.

“Yeah, I… visited your family.” She will have to avoid telling him that she also gave them food. Gale hates charity. But she doesn’t think about it like that, it was rather a gift.

“Why?” He demands, his eyes bore into her, Madge averts hers from him.

“And why not?” Madge flinches at his hard voice. “I care about your family. I wanted to see how they cope with your… accident. Your mother forbids Rory and Vick to see you. Posy doesn’t even know what’s happened. She thinks you work longer in the mine and you sleep at Katniss’ to have a shorter way to work.”

Gale looks at her intensely and then sighs, mumbling. “Thanks, Madge. For morphling, for taking care of my family… For everything.”

“You’re welcome, Gale.” She smiles widely and leans towards him, capturing his lips with hers. It’s a tender kiss; the one that makes her heart leap with joy. Then she feels that Gale may truly care for her. That she is the one for him.

They talk for some time. Madge talks about silly and funny things to keep his mind from the pain and concerns. Gale smiles and nods and sometimes squeezes her palm and she lulls him to sleep before she exits the house to visit Peeta unexpectedly. She kisses his forehead for the last time and smiles to herself, looking at his sleeping form and muttering.

“I love you, Gale.”

But Madge doesn’t notice the blonde haired girl sitting on the stairs. Prim doesn’t know what to think about it. She felt that Madge and Gale can be something more, but it was just a guess, so she’s still shocked. Then Prim smiles. She knows Katniss loves Gale. But not in that way as her sister thinks, Katniss still treats him like older brother. Prim thinks Katniss cares for Peeta deeply, but refuses to acknowledge it. She’s scared and lost and her sister had never been good at reading her feelings.

Prim just hopes that everything will be fine.

It has to be.


End file.
